The Uses for US$1
The children came in groups of tens, twenties, thirties, forties and fifties. They came on foot on
the hard packed potholed dirt roads, the older ones, ages eight or nine, holding the hands of the
younger ones. Many of them walked barefoot the several kilometers from the eleven villages
around Nandi Hills, Bangalore rural district, India to the HH Sai Maa Health Centre, as they
owned no shoes. There are no buses nor could they have afforded to take one. They came with
their teachers, smiling and eager to get some needed medicine and vitamins and to learn about
health and hygiene.
The children streamed in until the brick and cement hall was packed with over a thousand thin
small bodies, all sitting quietly on the cool cement floor, wide eyed in anticipation of what we
may share with them. Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at the sea of expectant, upturned
little faces. I could feel their hope and trust along with their unquestioning acceptance of what is.
Turning to my colleagues, I can see that they too are overwhelmed. We are awed by the
magnitude of the challenge and encouraged by the potential we have to make a difference in so
many young lives.
We have come, a collaboration of four organizations, Us Foundation www.usfoundation.org ,
Airline Ambassadors International www.airlineamb.org, Humanity in Unity
www.humanityinunity.org and Vitamin Angels Alliance www.vitaminangels.org to provide
anti-parasitic medicine and vitamins for 25,000 children. I, as the representative of Us
Foundation, the lead organization in this project, am responsible for organizing the program.
Quickly I composed myself to share with them the parasite related health issues and the hygiene
steps necessary to prevent re-infection. Working with the local team from Sai Maa Health
Centre, we handed out the local language hygiene and nutrition picture flyers so that the children
and teachers can take the information to their villages.
This is why we are here, to avert the loss of the next generation; for a mere US$1 we can ward
off the major childhood diseases and blindness for one child. With little access to clean water
and no organized sewage system in the Nandi Hills rural area; the probability of the children
being infected with parasites is almost 100%. We brought anti-parasitic medicine to eliminate the
parasites and multi-vitamins to support their health. The vitamins can prevent the children from
illnesses that we usually only read about in the western world, rickets, scurvy, and most
debilitating of all,
blindness from a lack of
vitamin A and other
nutrients. With the
medicine and vitamins
the children have an
opportunity to grow into
healthy functioning
youths.
Speaking through a
translator to the children
and teachers, I am
amazed by their attention
and focus. With a
thousand children
jammed crossed legged on the hall floor, bony knees pushed up into the back of the child in front
for over an hour, there was not a single disagreement. And they were attentive and interested.
What they lacked in material wealth they had in a maturity and awareness that I have rarely seen
in people of any age much less young children.
The distribution of the anti-parasitic medicine began. The volunteers sat in a row to dispense to
the children who filed by. We made sure that they chewed and swallowed the citrus flavored
tablet before we thanked them and sent them on. Two doctors worked with their teachers to get
the children’s health history to track their health progress. The line moved quickly, heartwarming
and heartbreaking memories burned into my heart as I handed out the medicine. The children
wore their threadbare school uniforms or their best clothes if they couldn’t afford one for the
occasion. Their hair, neatly combed for the boys, and braided with ribbons or flowers for the
girls. Big brown eyes took up most of the thin sweet faces, watchful and shyly smiling or sober
past their age.
Then the big event: lunch! We dished out the food to the children in long rows in the hall; again
the calmness and congeniality impressed all of us volunteers. Serenely waiting for their food the
children sat still, no fidgeting or rambunctious activities and they ate quietly and in such good
behavior that it would impress Ms. Manners.
We closed the event with songs and chants, we laughed till we cried and then too soon it was
time for the children to walk back to their villages. We gave the multi-vitamins supplies to the
teachers to dispense with the children’s school lunches along with extra anti-parasitic medicine
for their village.
The next few days were spent
introducing the anti-parasitic
medicine, vitamin and health
education program to parents and
other villagers in the rural
community. We handed out
hygiene kits, health and nutrition
flyers and lots of goodwill, which
we got back manifold. The
human connections dissolved
verbal languages and customs;
we were bonded with smiles and
spirit.
From now on November 14th,
International Children’s Day will
have even more meaning as that was the day we launched our program. Starting January 2007
we have monthly missions scheduled to deliver more aid and to continue the health and nutrition
education to improve and maintain the children’s health. We have started with 25,000 children in
this area and there are so many more we can help. At US$1 per child, the cost of a Starbucks
coffee drink can save four or five children. What a wonderful opportunity we have to make a
dramatic change in so many people’s lives for so little!
If you are interested in participating in a future mission, please log in www.airlineamb.org and
for tax deductible donations to this program, please send your donation to the India children’s
project at:
Us Foundation
PO Box 5780
Santa Barbara, CA 93150
www.Usfoundation.org